Metro bus evacuated after reports of armed man sleeping on bus
LOS ANGELES - A Metro bus in Glendale was evacuated after officials received reports of a man armed with a gun.
Glendale Police and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department responded to the area of Los Feliz Blvd. and San Fernando Blvd. around 9:45 a.m.
According to law enforcement, a bus driver noticed a gun in the man's waistband during a shift change.
"He was lying on the seat, lying down, appeared to be sleeping, and saw that he had a handgun," said LT. Lucas Darland with the sheriff's department.
The two bus drivers then got off the bus and called 911.
Multiple law enforcement sources at the scene told FOX 11 that detectives were able to watch what was happening inside the bus through a security camera that was sending a livestream to headquarters, then was sent back to those on the scene via FaceTime.
Everyone on the bus was safely evacuated. A standoff went on until noon, when the man later exited the bus and was taken into custody. According to the sheriff's department, the man was in possession of a loaded gun. They say there was never a threat to the public.
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A portion of Los Feliz from San Fernando to Central was closed off during the standoff.
Metro released the following statement which read in part, "Metro thanks our bus operator for quickly notifying authorities after he spotted a gun in a sleeping passenger's waistband. The bus operator and all passengers were safely evacuated from the bus, with all passengers boarding the following bus to reach their destinations. Metro strictly prohibits carrying dangerous weapons on the Metro system, whether concealed or visible. The LASD is leading the investigation into this incident."